An Exciting Discovery: The Anti-Cancer Benefits Of Avocado Seeds!

If you like avocados, you probably just eat the flesh of the fruit and toss the seed away. However, one study discovered that there’s a substance in avocado seeds that will change your mind about disposing of them. It’s not a secret that avocados are extremely healthy, but this compound makes the entire fruit even healthier. The seed is said to hold the key for dealing with an uncommon yet fatal type of leukemia called acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

AML is an aggressive type of cancer that attacks the white blood cells. With avocados, especially their seeds, you can benefit from the compound called avocatin B. The compound was studied by the University of Waterloo and Mount Sinai Hospital (both in Canada) as well as the University of Perugia, Italy and it appeared that it can be reliable in battling the cells that cause the blood cancer.

The research was performed involving about 800 compounds and they were all tested against leukemia cells. The most effective was avocatin B, which caused the cancerous cells to die. Even better news is that the substance did not affect the healthy blood cells of the body.

An Amazing Discovery

Lots of researchers have become interested in avocatin B and there are now plans to benefit from it to develop a drug for leukemia. Obviously, this will take a long time, however it does look promising. For now, the present treatments for this deadly blood cancer are:

Stem cell transplants

Radiation therapy

Chemotherapy

Targeted therapy

Biological therapy

So next time you eat avocados, don’t toss away the seeds just yet. While the fruit contains B vitamins, including folate in addition to healthy fats, potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K, the seed has a lot of nutrients to boast as well. It is packed with bioactive phytochemicals andantioxidants. In fact, 70% of the anti-oxidants in the fruit are found in the seed itself.

How To Consume Avocado Seeds

It might come as a surprise to many, but avocado seeds are indeed edible. With the nutrients discovered in them, together with the anti-cancer benefits, it is time you stop throwing the seed to the garbage bin. Eating it is simple. After extracting the seed from the fruit, put it in a plastic bag. Then, you can safely crush it using a hammer. Once crushed, add it to your favorite smoothie, much like you would with other superfoods, such as chia seeds. You can also process it in a blender after crushing it with a hammer.